{"id":91379,"date":"2024-01-19T12:11:42","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T11:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/tips-for-preparing-for-a-10k\/"},"modified":"2024-01-19T12:11:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T11:11:42","slug":"tips-for-preparing-for-a-10k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/tips-for-preparing-for-a-10k\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for preparing for a 10k"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 10k has become the popular race par excellence and for many people starting out in running, it is the first major competitive challenge in which to defend a race bib. In this article, we are going to offer you tips for preparing for a 10k. <\/p>\n

The 10k is a distance that more and more amateur runners are daring to tackle every day. The running ‘boom’ in the last decade has led to the birth of many races of this distance, and almost all cities or towns of a certain size have their ten thousand meter race. <\/p>\n

In many 10k races (it also happens in distances like the 15k, half marathon, or marathon), it is possible to find people facing the distance for the first time without the proper preparation to complete the race within the time allowed by the organization; the problem, however, is not arriving outside the time limit but subjecting the body to an effort for which it is not sufficiently prepared.<\/p>\n

We have turned to specialist Marcos Greus<\/strong><\/a>, a high-performance coach and trainer in endurance sports, to ask him for advice for someone who wants to prepare for a 10k (their first 10k) and do it in a sensible way and with the peace of mind of having the necessary preparation to face the challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Physical<\/a>
Coach and physical trainer Marcos Greus competing in a preparatory race for the Valencia marathon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We have sent him a series of questions, taking as a starting point the situation of an amateur runner who is already able to handle 30\/40 minutes of continuous running, who goes out to run 3 days a week, and who is willing to increase their training time (more time per run and adding a fourth day of training).<\/p>\n

Preparing for a 10k requires being in shape<\/h2>\n

Preparing for a 10k is usually the first major sporting challenge for many people who take up running; is it really a distance suitable for anyone?<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people start running for health reasons, to feel good, to reach or maintain a healthy weight… As long as there is no medical contraindication, it is a good decision to start running, but running is a demanding physical activity that requires minimum preparation to avoid scares or problems; I always say that you have to be in shape to start running and not run to get in shape<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When you start running, it is very important to be sure that you have a level of fitness that guarantees you are not at risk of injury.<\/p>\n

It is more common than we think to find people who start running after a long time of total inactivity, overweight (with the risk this can pose for the joints), without muscle tone, and without having a prior medical check-up. And at the height of absurdity, there are also cases of people who decide to run starting with popular races, which is a huge mistake and a recklessness. <\/p>\n

The running boom experienced in recent years has meant that many people sign up for races without proper preparation<\/strong> and in some cases even without having hardly run previously. I have known cases of people who signed up for races right off the bat because they said that way they found a stimulus to train and motivate themselves to run. <\/p>\n

Preparing for a 10k requires being in shape as a first requirement<\/strong> and, furthermore, committing to a preparation job that is demanding because we are facing a distance that seems very accessible (and it really is with the proper preparation) but that is not within everyone’s reach because it involves running for around an hour uninterruptedly; it’s one thing to run 20-25 minutes and quite another to run 60 minutes continuously<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Preparing<\/a>
Participants in the Valencia 10k 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How long is it advisable to have been running before considering running a 10k with guarantees of finishing it correctly and without having problems or taking risks?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Generally speaking, my recommendation for anyone would be to face the challenge of preparing for a 10k when you really have the certainty that you can run between 10 and 12 kilometers solidly<\/strong>. What do I mean by “solidly”? Well, that the cardiorespiratory system, the muscular system, and the bone and ligament system are capable of supporting 10 kilometers at a gentle pace; at that moment and not before is when you should think about facing a 10k. <\/p>\n

Many people jump into their first 10k without having gone beyond runs of 7 or 8 kilometers and, fortunately, nothing happens to most of them, but it is a distance in which risks are taken that can lead to discomfort or even injuries that could be avoided with a bit more preparation, consistency, and, above all, patience. In recent years, impatience has taken over amateur running<\/strong>; fear and respect for distances have been lost, which is something I find worrying. <\/p>\n

When you can solidly run 10 kilometers at a gentle pace, it is time to slightly increase the intensity and volume of kilometers in your training to face a 10k.<\/p>\n

And why increase intensity and volume in training? Well, because in a race, you will inevitably run at a stronger pace than in training; when you put on the race bib, it’s normal to want to give your best and the body has to be prepared to run at a higher intensity. <\/p>\n

Therefore, the sequence of steps to follow before facing the first 10k would be…<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Step one: Be able to solidly run 10 kilometers at a gentle pace.<\/p>\n

Step two: When you are already able to run 45-50 minutes three times a week with ease, it would be a good time to think about running a short race, of 5 or 7 kilometers, to have a first contact with competition before debuting in a 10k.<\/p>\n

Step three: Increase the intensity and volume of kilometers to prepare the body for the higher intensity we are going to demand on race day. How to increase intensity? With short fartleks, such as 10 one-minute pace changes with 2-minute rests (gentle trot, without stopping). How to increase volume? Running 12\/13 kilometers at a calm pace. <\/p>\n

\"Preparing<\/a>
Debut runner in a 10k.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10-12 weeks of specific preparation to prepare for a 10k<\/h3>\n

How far in advance of the event would it be advisable to start training to prepare for a 10k properly?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It depends on each person’s starting fitness level; it’s not the same to start running from scratch for a sedentary person as it is for an active person who does physical exercise or practices other sports regularly.<\/p>\n

Each person’s starting fitness level will be decisive in establishing what type of training, how many days of training, and what the proper planning should be to aim to run a race safely and without risk of injury or health problems.<\/p>\n

At this point, I want to emphasize the importance of having a professional in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences determine the optimal planning and also guide the preparation path; only a physical preparation professional will be able to objectively determine a person’s starting physical state and, therefore, what the most appropriate preparation is to face the challenge of preparing for a 10k.<\/p>\n

In the case of an active (non-sedentary) person who performs physical activity with some regularity and has no physical limitations or medical contraindications, the normal period to prepare for a 10k would be 10-12 weeks of training, running 3 times a week<\/strong> and doing at least one day of strength training.<\/p>\n

What is essential from a physical trainer’s point of view before jumping into preparing for a 10k?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Determining very well what the person’s starting fitness level is. Something very important for me is to perform a sports anamnesis<\/a><\/strong>, that is, an analysis of the medical history and personal and family background to be able to adjust the training loads as much as possible to that person’s reality and circumstances. <\/p>\n

As I pointed out before, it’s not the same to start training a person who comes from a period of inactivity (whether due to injury or disconnection from sport) or sedentarism as it is someone who already performs some sporting activity and, therefore, already has muscle toning or adaptation to start with specific training focused on running.<\/p>\n

It is fundamental to determine the starting point and examine very well what is inside the ‘toolbox’ of the person who wants to prepare for a sporting goal.<\/p>\n

\"Pace<\/a>
Runner from the Paterna Runners team in the Valencia 10k 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What do I mean by what’s inside ‘the toolbox’? I’ll explain it with an example: person X has an 8-hour office job, has two small children to look after in the afternoons, and only has one hour a day to train during the week and a bit more, an hour and a half on Saturday and Sunday; in person X’s toolbox, there is also the possibility of going to a gym one or two days or doing a day of pool training… <\/p>\n

With all that information, with everything I know is in person X’s toolbox, I can design and build the most efficient training possible to face the sporting goal. That’s why I say that for me, the initial anamnesis of the person\/athlete is fundamental to be able to properly adjust the training days and workloads. <\/p>\n

Yes, you have to train strength to prepare for a 10k<\/h3>\n

Is it important to incorporate strength training into the preparation for debuting in a 10k?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Absolutely yes. Strength is the basis of any physical preparation<\/strong> and is important for preparing for a 10k. For someone who wants to face a 10k for the first time with the goal of finishing it solidly but without pretensions of setting a record, specific work in a gym or with weights is not necessary, but bodyweight training<\/strong> is; this work could be with bands, TRX, on stairs, on hills… <\/p>\n

Strength work is necessary because it will allow you to train more,<\/strong> assimilate training loads better<\/strong>, and reduce the risk of injury<\/strong>. And why do I say it will allow you to train more? Well, because by doing strength work you can be more consistent in your training, and in the end, the key in any endurance sport is consistency and patience. The person who is consistent, who doesn’t skip or miss training sessions, is the one who progresses. <\/p>\n

In a 10k, between 8,000 and 9,000 steps are taken, which means supporting body weight multiplied by 4 every time you hit the ground; if at the bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament level you are not strong and prepared enough to withstand this huge volume of impacts, discomfort and injuries can appear, and it won’t matter if you use very expensive running shoes.<\/p>\n

The most common mistake when debuting in a 10k: not keeping track of the pace<\/h3>\n

What mistakes should you try to avoid when running a 10k for the first time?<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The most common mistake for a debutant is usually getting carried away by the excitement of the race and not keeping track of the pace.<\/p>\n

You have to avoid starting at inappropriate paces<\/strong> because you end up paying for it from kilometer 7 onwards. You have to have your paces planned from the start and run with a cool head at all times, but especially in the first few kilometers. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
You have to have your paces planned from the start and not get carried away by the excitement of the race.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I always tell debutants in any distance, whether it’s a 10k, a half marathon, or a marathon, that you have to run at the paces or heart rates that you have trained and assimilated<\/strong>. Don’t overrate yourself in the first few kilometers no matter how good you feel; that feeling of believing that the race bib will give you that extra performance boost to run faster throughout the course is very treacherous. <\/p>\n

Another instruction I always give to the runners I coach is that the day before and the day of the race you shouldn’t do anything you haven’t previously trained<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Don’t do “experiments”. And on race day, don’t eat a different breakfast, don’t drink more coffee, don’t wear new clothes and much less running shoes (which might sound like a joke, but I know of cases), don’t take an energy gel before the race because it’s a recommendation from someone with a lot of experience, don’t drink something during the race that you haven’t tried before… <\/p>\n

On race day, you shouldn’t do anything new; everything you do on race day has to be trained and assimilated prior to the race.<\/p>\n

What would be important to be clear about before considering putting on a race bib in a 10k?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The most important thing is to be clear that you want to run a race. There are many people who end up putting on a race bib due to “pressure”. I know of cases of people who register because friends or family insist on them doing it when they have already been running for some time, and they do it almost out of obligation. <\/p>\n

\"Preparing<\/a>
Debuting in a 10k is the challenge for many people starting out in running.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Facing a race, especially for the first time, generates stress that not everyone likes or enjoys. There are many people who like to run for health or for fun or to disconnect and who don’t like to compete, and that’s okay. Putting on a race bib and facing a 10k is something you really have to want to do. It is absolutely respectable for someone to decide to run and have no interest in the competitive side. <\/p>\n

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The 10k has become the popular race par excellence and for many people starting out in running, it is the first major competitive challenge in which to defend a race bib. In this article, we are going to offer you tips for preparing for a 10k. The 10k is a distance that more and more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":91393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1599],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training-and-preparation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/42krunning.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}